Corporate People Photographer, Los Angeles, California – Business and Executive Portraits, Annual Report Photography

Davis Photographic specializes in corporate photography, which amounts to about 60% of our business. A typical corporate photo shoot might go something like this: We start by shooting the exterior of the building, then move inside and set up studio lighting and a background in the conference room to shoot employee headshots. After the head shots we take the background down, move the lights around, and photograph executives in the conference room pretending to hold an important meeting. Normally we ask them to bring in props like laptop computers, notepads, charts, books and other items to make it look like there is a meeting going on.

Next we shoot people in offices at their desks working, small meetings in offices with two or three people, and people working alone. At times we are requested to capture the image on a computer or television screen. This requires making the room totally dark, and taking a long exposure of up to 10 seconds to expose the screen, then popping the flash at the end to light the person and desk. Other typical corporate shots would be executive portraits, shots of the lobby and reception area, groups of executives or employees in front of the building, etc.

If the corporation does manufacturing, we will often do both industrial and corporate style photography on the same day. See Corporate Places for information.

Preparing for a Corporate Photo Shoot

Send out a notice to all employees who will be photographed a week in advance and another notice a day in advance. This will allow them to get haircuts, dry clean suits, and make other grooming preparations. Employees should avoid large or busy patterns, solid pastel or dark colors are best. Avoid being photographed wearing a plain white shirt, as these easily overexpose. Light pastel, solid color shirts are preferred for men.
Clean and prep the rooms to be photographed a day in advance. Remove clutter and stacks of papers from desks, unneeded dishes and cables in conference rooms. Bring in plants, decorations or fresh flowers from other rooms into the rooms to be photographed, but don’t overdo it. Remove shinny or reflective items such as mirrors, paintings or pictures with glass over them, or trophies. These items will pick up reflections from the photographer’s lights, and cause an ugly glare in the picture.